Brains!

Imagine my surprise when my bud Andrew Bemis tagged me in the ongoing Thinking Blogger Awards. I'm not sure I warrant the honor- what with most of my posts lately being devoted to faces and posters- but it's too late to take it back now, pal.

Before I pass along the meme, here are the ground rules, as set down by The Thinking Blog:

1. If, and only if, you get tagged, write a post with links to 5 blogs that make you think,
2. Link to this post so that people can easily find the exact origin of the meme,
3. Optional: Proudly display the 'Thinking Blogger Award' with a link to the post that you wrote.

Since I'm not sure how to display the Banner in my blogroll, I'll just post it here until I figure it out.

There. Now it feels official. And to hold up my end of the bargain, here are five bloggers that make me think, in no particular order:

Theo's Century of Movies- Not a blogger per se, but no matter. His writings on film are as thought provoking as anyone else's online. Not only does he pack as much insight into a short review as anybody out there, but he'll give a fair shake to every movie he sees, be it an art film or a forgotten exploitation movie titled CALIGULA REINCARNATED AS HITLER! Theo's always the first critic I check out when I see a new movie, because I know he'll have a unique take on it.

The Ongoing Cinematic Education of Steven Carlson- As omnivorous as Theo, but with an even more refined palate for schlock, The Dread Pirate Steve's more or less required reading for anybody who hangs out in the Cult section at the local video rental joint. Plus he's perceptive as hell and often funny to boot. He also freely admits his unfortunate tendency to amass backlogs of reviews, something to which I can definitely relate.

No More Marriages!- Andy Horbal is a damn fine critic, but his most fascinating writing is actually about criticism itself, holding a mirror up to his (and our) critical habits without giving off even a whiff of navel-gazing. In addition, he also blogs about the Pittsburgh movie scene in a way I wish I could do about Columbus. Sadly, Andy's been on a self-imposed hiatus for the past month, but I have no doubt that the reason behind the hiatus (a new blog!) will be worth the wait.

I Hate Blogs- Although I've gotten out of the movie theatre racket, I look back on my years in the game with a certain amount of nostalgia, and Jason Alley's blog allows me to get that old feeling without smelling like burnt popcorn. It's rare to find a theatre manager who honestly cares about cinema (as opposed to just liking movies- I mean, who doesn't?), and reading Jason makes me wish more theatre management types were like him. At the very least, we'd have less of this going on...

If Charlie Parker Was a Gunslinger, There'd Be a Whole Lot of Dead Copycats- Seeing as how my site has largely degenerated into stand-alone images and links, I figured I ought to give a shout-out to the best blog of this kind I can think of. Tom Sutpen, Stephen Cooke and Richard Gibson have created a virtual cabinet of curiosities, encompassing everything from nineteenth-century political cartoons to categories like "So Loathsome I Could Cry," spotlighting famously nice guys like Ty Cobb. And if that's not good enough for you, their blog is a one-stop shopping outlet for (often NSFW) vintage cheesecake, including this work-safe yet nonetheless mindbending photo of Loretta Young. Great blog name too.

Finally, many thanks to Andrew for tagging me, and a belated congrates to other Hats favorites who've already gotten tagged: Donna, Dennis, Adam, and the incomparable Vern. And now if you'll excuse me, I'm off to celebrate...